Tech

From the creators of Semi-Permanent, the most prestigious event of its kind this half of the globe, comes Never Permanent. In partnership with the City of Melbourne as part of its new arts festival, Now or Never, it’s a one-day splendour of presentations by talented and passionate creatives worldwide. Headlined by the renowned Roman Coppola, LA-based co-writer of Wes Anderson hits such as The Grand Budapest Hotel and Asteroid City, it’s an event you won’t want to miss out on this month. 

On a journey to live a greener life? Technology is proving itself as the key to protecting Mother Earth. Innovative products are making sustainable living more viable and, ultimately, making the world a better place.

Taking their offering to a completely different level, Moonee Ponds bottle shop Fizz + Hop has been painstakingly recreated in popular game Animal Crossing, and they'll be hosting a virtual beer tasting inside the game.

This month, we look at the power of positive headlines in a crisis, the industry emerging to serve our newly-formed at-home dining habits, 5G's unlikely place in pop culture, the dismantling of high maintenance beauty and international shopping, and our new-found enthusiasm for a ballet class. 

Did you know there’s now a chatbot that improves your sexting skills? How about a holographic Japanese AI that makes you feel less lonely? Or a cheap male fertility test that turns your iPhone into a sperm microscope?

If you’re terrified of robots taking over the human race, then it’s time to educate yourself and get a head start on their moves. From 10am–3pm this Saturday, Scienceworks will open its doors to a wide range of collaborators and exhibitors to host a technology exposition featuring interactive robotics, technology, VR, maker spaces, exhibits, a range of speakers and a DJ.

It’s 17 years after a global catastrophe and things are looking hectic.

You can’t walk down the street at the moment without running into someone who has a side hustle, or at the very least, a podcast.

We know, we know, your phone is probably already packed. Last month you had to choose between a new Cardi B track and that photo of your nephew eating ice-cream (bye bye, little Timmy).

It sounds more like a kid’s dream than a real job. Video Game Writer. It’s right up there with ‘Pirate’, ‘Astronaut’ and ‘Professional Dinosaur’. Unless you’re award-winning journalist, author and gamer, Rhianna Pratchett.

The new Forza Horizon 4 manages something that’s rare in racing games: it’s built for people who genuinely, really fking love driving cars.

Controversial idea: the months leading up to a big game release are actually more fun than playing the game itself.T hat’s not always the case, but damn if we’re not waking up every morning like kids at Christmas to see what Rockstar Games have left under the tree. The anticipation for Red Dead Redemption 2 is delicious.

 Not just Candy Crush.

​If you want to know what’s happening in Oceanic pro gaming, just ask Michelle Mannering. She’s the unofficial queen of organised eSports and hackathons in Australia, running stages at PAX Australia, writing for international eSports mags, and even hosting an eSports series for CrownBet (now EasyBet). She also plays the odd game from time to time (biggest understatement of the millennium).

Get ready for the ultimate blast from the past because the PlayStation One is officially making a comeback.

​Brandon ‘Biopanther’ Alexander is one of Australia’s top professional sportsmen, except he does his best work sitting in a chair with a can of Red Bull and some headphones.

Well, this is big old news in the startup space. Startup Grind will head to the Asia Pacific region for the first time, and it will land in Melbourne this coming December.

A month-long retro gaming festival taking over a huge chunk of the CBD? Yeah, we're game *cracks knuckles* 

​Bow down and rejoice, Android users. The most popular game in the world is now available on Google’s Android OS...well, sort of.

​Creeped out by the idea of Amazon Alexa or Google Home in your lounge room? This little guy might be more your speed.

Taking a walk through the Aussie bush is one of the most peaceful experiences you can have. Strolling down gum-lined trails with marsupials scurrying about is about as close as you can get to heaven for me. And now there’s a game that has captured the essence of this experience, and put it into a mobile game that does it just.

The problem with Tinder is that it’s a lot. A lot of swiping to find your matches, and a lot of people on there. Like, basically everyone. 

ICYMI, Instagram just released a new app in what is the latest step in their ongoing campaign for complete digital world domination. 

​Gingers have had a lot of hardship in their lives, but this week will see the end of one of our many fought battles. That’s right—ginger emojis are about to drop and we can’t be any. More. Excited. 

Not sure WTF it is? We got you. 

That Zuckerberg character, usually everyone is getting stuck into him for jamming up your news feeds with rubbish, influencing elections, and letting your data get breached—but every now and then he goes and does something right.

Now it’s not just a double tap on that selfie from 10 months ago to terrify us.

2017 has been a pretty crazy year, what with the constant news of Trump sending a tweet, everyone going bananas over fidget spinners, as well as many joining the search for the most perfect recipe for slime—and it seems your Google searches have reflected that.

Guys shut the front door! Just when you thought you could never be more reliant on your smartphone, someone goes an invents a phone cover that will brew you a cup of coffee. No, we're not joking.

Not to sound like an infomercial during the Today Show, but have you ever thought there’s probably a better way to make a keyring so that we don’t have to tear our fingernails apart while changing keys?

Melbourne’s definitely making a name for itself in the startup space, and we’re seeing more and more co-working spaces setting up shop around town.

Pausefest is the country’s biggest tech and innovation festival, and it kicks off in February at a bunch of venues around town. Tickets are on sale now.

Is there anything more Melbourne than hitting the local market with your pup in tow for a day of suitcase rummaging and super thrifty discounts? Nooope. 

Move over House of Dior ‘cos we’re saying goodbye to the past and taking a big step forward for robotic mankind *C3PO cheers in background*.

We just found a new app that helps you beat phone addiction, ignore notifications, and actually focus on the important stuff (like talking with loved ones or finishing university). Basically, an anti-procrastinator’s dream.

Goodbye French teachers everywhere.

Have you ever found yourself walking through gardens, forests, or even down the street and wondered to yourself what that beautiful plant is called?

What the world needs now is more emoji love.

Happy tenth birthday to our old mate the iPhone.

Put your hands in the air if you just don't care that you spent all your cash money on discount Easter eggs from Kmart last month. Fear not, for we have tracked down all the best-est and free-est events within our extremely expensive city to make paying rent this month just that little bit more feasible. 

For the most part, stuffing our faces at our favourite local dining haunt is reward enough, but sometimes, just sometimes, getting something in return is also pretty damn great.

Just when you thought Beyoncé’s bestie, AKA Zoë Foster Blake, couldn’t get any cooler. News flash—she just did. 

To make going back to work (somewhat) bearable, we've found some nifty apps aimed to alleviate all stresses and impracticalities of office life so that you can get stuck into the glorious grind.

​We owe a lot to podcasts—they make our morning commute bearable, educate us on how not to be murdered, provide loads of comic relief and generally make us better humans. What on earth did we do without them? Listen to the radio? Thank god those days are over (soz Kyle and Jackie O).

If you haven’t heard of Pokemon Go, then well… how? More people have downloaded Pokemon Go in the U.S. than have Tinder.  I guess people prefer the thrill of trying to find Pikachu and co. than swiping right and left? As the app is location dependent, it has led to some pretty awkward situations over the last couple days. Like a police station in Darwin and the Hells Angels headquarters in Whanganui, NZ both unknowingly becoming Pokestops.  As we want you dear Melbournians to be able to avoid such situations, we’ve done our research on some of the best spots for you to catch ‘em all! 

Guys, as excited as we all were to get Netflix last year, there’s one resounding truth that hasn’t stopped stinging since we started streaming: American Netflix is literally a hundred times better than our stripped-back counterpart. The mid-strength beer to the US’s 5.1% pale ale, Australian and Kiwi Netflix misses out on a bunch of shows that we’d rather be binging on. Whether you’re a devastated Parks and Rec fan, or a Lynchian stream-aholic who’s hankering after a Twin Peaks marathon, you’ll be relieved to know that we’ve found a loophole. Viewers, welcome to the world of VPNs that get rid of geoblocking.

Oh hai there new Instagram logo, straight out of MS Paint. Everyone's been giving you a little too much heat in my opinion—and I'm here to say I don't think that's very fair.

Giving an outfit a fierce, laidback look is as easy as throwing on a pair of jeans. Ripped jeans, that is. 

Dear autocorrect, I really, truly hate you. You ruin my life on a daily basis. And you won't even let me swear at you.

Hands up who’s fallen victim to a smashed phone screen after a drunken night out (or just being a clumsy thumbsy in my case)? As much as we love the look of our sleek and shiny phones sans cover, it’s not worth the hassle or extra cost of having to get your screen replaced several times a year.

Happy Australia Day! Here at the Urban List we believe that is it important to recognise the national custodians of this land as well as celebrating the rich and diverse culture of our great country. So, we've teamed up with Stokehouse City chef, Ollie Hansford, who has created a recipe for us to share that showcases our country's natural bounty.

If making a date with your dermatologist has been on your to-do list for the past six months and still doesn’t look like it’s going to get locked in anytime soon, we may just have the solution for you: Skincare via Skype with The Cosmeceutical Curator.